


Thirteen Days Until Satan Takes a Chill Pill.

by LostLine



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - High School, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mostly humor and romance, Slice of Life, This is just a compilation of random stories that I will be putting out here everyday, all sorts of alternative universes, criminals and cops, not all chapters are explicit, some angst may come but nothing too heavy, stories with no specific beginnings or endings, that kind of stuff, usually cute chatty chaotic slice of life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:13:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28198950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostLine/pseuds/LostLine
Summary: New weird KaiBaek short stories everyday until we yeet 2020 away!
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 5
Kudos: 19





	1. Baekhyun and Jongdae Have a Talk. Please let me have a good dream tonight.

For an unknown reason, the principal of their school announced the lunch break today. He was an old man with eighty percent of his hair gone, and his body had lost twenty percent of its height due to the cruel nature of aging.

At least, that was what Jongdae had claimed to be true.

No matter how many pictures Baekhyun took and zoomed in, he couldn’t see where the alleged  toupée  started and ended.

The height thing might be true, Baekhyun mused. His grandmother herself, after all, had admitted that she used to be a hundred and sixty centimeters tall in her youthful days. She claimed she lost around fifteen centimeters over the years.

Then, if their principal was old enough to be losing his height, shouldn’t he be retired like Baekhyun’s grandmother was?

“Hey, hey, Jongdae,” Baekhyun said. “How old is the principal?”

Jongdae stared at the sky.

“Who knows.”

“Can’t even guess?”

“Well, I did hear that he fought in the second world war.”

Baekhyun was startled out of his peaceful cloud-gazing. “What?”

“Yeah.”

“Then,” Baekhyun said, “can’t you estimate his age from there?”

Jongdae shrugged. “Don’t know when the second world war was.”

“Aren’t you supposed to know, as an about-to-graduate senior of high school?”

“And I suppose you’re not my classmate?   
  


Baekhyun decided to ignore that. They went back to gazing at the blue sky. They had finished up their lunch, faster than they would have liked. No matter how much he ate, Baekhyun always felt like eating more. 

They were lying on the gigantic bench on the school’s only accessible rooftop. Not unlike the ones you can find in the countryside, the bench was two hundred and fifty centimeters by two hundred and fifty centimeters, long made by the senior students three years prior as a punishment for getting into a group fight over spilled strawberry milk. Legend said a nose was bled.

“Just look it up,” Jongdae said, all of a sudden, startling Baekhyun.

“What?”

“When the second world war was. I swear I knew everything about it. But now that I’m done with the entrance exam, my brain did some cleaning up and threw out all the unwanted information I loaded myself with throughout the last twelve years. Also this heat is not helping.”

Baekhyun nodded. “Can’t.”

“Why?”

“Too much of a trouble.”

“Typing?”

“That, and getting my phone.”

“Where’s your phone?”

“In my back pocket.”

“Of your bag?”

“No, of my pants.”

“... that you’re wearing now.”

“... Yeah.”

“Oh,”

“Yeah,”

“I see,” Jongdae mused.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun answered.

“Isn’t it digging into your butt?” 

“Not much, but I don’t wanna lift my butt up and use my hand to pull my phone out.”

“That does sound like a lot of work.” Jongdae agreed.

A minute passed by. A huge cloud was roaming over their heads, it was so big that Baekhyun, once again, wondered how there could not be something hidden behind, or inside, all that. When he was a kid, he always imagined a whole ass kingdom on the clouds. And the clouds looked soft and firm enough for him to jump on them.

His second grade science teacher had unnecessarily and cruelly informed him that the clouds would not catch him, and that he would just fall to his death. It was a traumatic memory for Baekhyun.

“Ah, I just remembered,” Jongdae said.

“What?”

“The second world war ended on September 1945, I believe. It started almost exactly six years prior, September 1939” Jongdae sighed heavily. “Other than that, my head is full of birthdates of dead people.”

“And then the Korean War started five years later, lasted for a bit over three years.” Baekhyun said. “My brain is baked but I still remember. Wow.”

“Why did we need to know these dates?” Jongdae said, yawning.

Baekhyun yawned too. “I don’t know. Let’s not talk about it anymore. Wars are depressing, and I want to forget everything I learned.”

“What did you do with your books?” Jongdae asked. “You have been saying it since we started school that you would burn them.”

Baekhyun tutted. “Don’t be an idiot. I was six back then — I recycled them.”

“All of them?”

“All of them. My room is all empty now. I’m gonna fill it up with story books. Do you know when was the last time I read for pleasure?”

“But what if you don’t get into a university this year? Those books were expensive.”

“I don’t care,” Baekhyun said firmly. “I’m done with school.”

“What about your parents?”

“I’ll kneel and beg them to let me live off their money until I die. They’ll probably let me, I’m their only child.”

Jongdae snorted in disgust. “You careless golden spoon.”

“Diamond, actually. Whichever one is more expensive. Wait, which one is more valuable?”

“Aren’t you supposed to know, as a sole inheritor of your rich parents?”

“I’m gonna watch some many anime,” Baekhyun said excitedly. “For a year, even if I get into a university, my parents said I can take a year off and stay at home and do everything I wanted to do but couldn’t because of my busy school life. I’m gonna stay up late every night and order late night snacks. I swear I’ll try everything on the menu, even the gross stuff that adults eat when they drink. And I’m gonna play every game there is to play!”

“Dude,” Jongdae sounded slightly concerned. “You’ll gain so much weight. What about your heart?”

A fly tried to sit on Baekhyun’s face. Baekhyun swatted it away. It came back again. Baekhyun moved his head left and right. It went away and then came back again. Baekhyun waved around with both his hands madly before finally smacking Jongdae’s big mouth with the back of his fingers. A bonus.

“Dude! Ow!”

“What  _ about  _ my heart? Baekhyun asked.   
  


“Not just your heart, all of your organs will suffer if you get fat. It’s a very serious concern of modern age, you know: obesity.” Jongdae said, tenderly touching his lips. “But how would you know, you slept through all of the health classes.”

Baekhyun was offended.

“I’m offended,” he announced. “I’ll be working out as well. Our complex has a gym in every building, and I would have been getting more exercise if I didn’t have to drag my ass to school at the crack of dawn pretty much everyday. Now, I’ll have time. I’ll jog and swim whenever I want. And I can finally go play tennis with my mom every week, like we used to, when I was little and had no obligations about memorizing definitions of English words.”

“Yeah, your English sucks,”

“Not as bad as yours,”

“But why is it so hot anyway?” Jongdae whined. “Just yesterday, it was raining like hell and it was cold. I know it’s June, but it’s just beginning. Chill a bit, damn.”

“Must be global warming.”

“ _ Aaaaah _ ,”

“Yeah.”

“Is the world ending?”

“Probably,”

“Ah,”

“Yeah,”

“So we might have put ourselves through hell when we might not live to see tomorrow,”

“Yeah, maybe,”

“Ah,”

Another minute passed by. Baekhyun and Jongdae continued to keep their comfortable positions on the bench, looking up at the sky, and listening to the roars of the boys playing football on the school field. Every once in a while, some girls would scream in delight when someone scored. It was probably Kim Jongin, the school’s rising heartthrob.

Baekhyun closed his eyes. “Hey,” he said. “Did Cupcake ask you to play football with him?”

Jongdae hummed  _ yes _ in response. “He asked you too, eh?”

“He’s nuts, is what he is. What is he, heat resistant?”

“Hmmm, maybe he is actually a supernatural human with a special power to resist heat.” Jongdae said.

“Hmmm,” Baekhyun said, wanting to say more but he didn’t have any thoughts.

The girls made some scandalized sound and then exhaled in delight, all together, like they were one, or something. Must be Kim Jongin, or his friend, Oh Sehun, who was also a promising star in the visual department of their school. Maybe one of them took off their shirts.

“Ah, I just remembered,” Jongdae said.

“What did you remember?”

“Why we needed to know when the second world war happened.”

“Oh — and?”

“Our principal fought in it. We were trying to guess his name.”

“Age.”

“Yeah, age.”

Baekhyun’s eyes refused to open. They felt heavy and comfortable while closed, so he kept them closed. “So our principal is … how old do you think he was, during the war, I mean.”

“Twenty?” Jongdae suggested.

“Isn’t that too old for back then?”

“Then, ten?”

“Too young!”

“Let’s say he was fifteen.”

“Aren’t we being too carefree about this?” Baekhyun wondered aloud. “I mean, he is a national hero, if he fought in it.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t everyone who fought in the war a national hero?”

“Who knows. Depends on what they did during the war, I guess? And if their side won? I don’t know.”

“So, let’s say he was fifteen. That means he was born in … 1924 ? Is that correct?”

“Ng, I think so,”

“Twenty four?”

“Yeah. Thirty nine minus fifteen is definitely twenty four.”

“Then he’s now … how many years old?” Baekhyun tried to calculate it. Nothing came up.”

“At least ninety, I think.” said Jongdae.

So either their principal was the most badass ninety year old in the world, or he was just a regular old man in his sixties, doing his job.

Baekhyun cracked his eyes open and looked at his friend. Jongdae looked like he was in pain, which was good.

“Let’s never do math again.” Baekhyun suggested. “Other than basic calculations. No more logarithm, no more trigonometry, no more integral, and no more fucking function. I actually used to enjoy math and geometry until these premium dicks came to ruin my life and stop my growth.”

Jongdae giggled. Baekhyun would have smacked him again if the task didn’t require him to physically lift his hand again.

The rooftop door opened up with a loud bang. Jongdae and Baekhyun both flinched but did not care enough, nor had the energy, to get up and look.

Footsteps hurriedly came at them. They were loud and clacky. Heels? So, a teacher? 

“What are you dipshits doing in my favorite spot?”

It was Kyungsoo. Baekhyun recognized his voice, also nobody in the entire school had the balls — nor the needless urge to be so mean — to talk like that to the seniors.

Jongdae made an angry hissing sound from the back of his throat. “Kid, for the last time — since I will literally never take a step in this school after tomorrow — respect your elders!”

“I do.” Kyungsoo said, nudging Baekhyun’s feet. “I just don’t respect you, besides we’re practically the same age.”

Baekhyun lifted his feet up and Kyungsoo sat down. Baekhyun put down his feet on Kyungsoo’s lap.

“Aren’t you sad that we’re leaving?” Jongdae said. “I know I never really did a shit, but Baekhyun’s been really good at running and keeping this school nice and respectful. You should thank him. Formally bow to him and give him all the money you have.”

“Don’t look down on yourself,” Baekhyun said halfheartedly, because he knew Jongdae expected him to say something. “You did plenty. You helped that girl get up one time, after you accidentally tripped her and made her drop her phone — which was brand new, did she tell you? — through the staircase’s gap.”

“I didn’t hear about this,” Kyungsoo said, sounding curious.

Baekhyun heard him take off his shoes, and there was some rustle. He was probably changing his shoes.

“Did you go to your tap class lessons? You guys danced in this heat? And of course you didn’t hear about it cause it happened during our first year, when you were just a snot-eating middle schooler.”

Jongdae laughed gleefully.

“I stopped eating my snot when I was exactly ten.” Kyungsoo said. “My mom showed me a video of what we would see if all the germs were visible to naked eyes. Traumatised me. But, to be fair, I wouldn’t listen no matter how many times she explained it to me, begged me to stop, bribed me to evolve, threatened to take away my stick.”

Baekhyun chuckled.

“Your stick?” Jongdae asked.

“I picked up a random stick when I was coming home from kindergarten one day, and it became my best friend. I thought it was a mighty sword I could use to protect myself from the bullies.”

Baekhyun opened his eyes. He squinted at Kyungsoo. “People bullied you?”

“No,” Kyungsoo said calmly. “I was, like, five. Bullies came up in story books and stuff. I just figured I should be ready.”

Baekhyun closed his eyes back again.

“Wait, you could read when you were five?”

“Yeah, my brother taught me how to read when I was three,”

Jongdae whistled. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah.”

“So, did you see Cupcake on the field?” Jongdae said. “That bastard is gonna die of heatstroke, it’s gonna be a shame.”

“Why?” said Baekhyun and Kyungsoo at the same time. 

With a mighty effort, Baekhyun raised his hand, Kyungsoo high-fived it.

It took a moment for Jongdae to stop laughing, then he started coughing and wheezing. Baekhyun had almost fallen asleep when Jongdae spoke again.

“Do you wanna come over to my place today? My parents said I should invite some of my friends and order some pizza. I’ll even let you into my room.”

“I’ll come if you buy me food,” Kyungsoo said. “And only if I get to not go into your room.”

Jongdae chuckled. “Bastard.” he nudged Baekhyun with his elbow. “I like this kid.”

“Me too. Can you let Cupcake know? And Kyungsoo, you can bring some friends too, if you want.”

“Ya, it’s my home!” Jongdae yawned again. “But yeah, you can bring friends. No more than two though. Because we need five people to play my favorite,”

“What do you mean? Is it a game? What is it?” Kyungsoo sounded suspicious, which he had earned the rights to. Jongdae had smuggled kittens into the school at the start of the year and had stolen Kyungsoo’s lunch to feed them for almost two weeks, resulting in everyone believing that someone was passive aggressively bullying Kyungsoo.

“You’ll see,” Jongdae put simply. “So, I believe you have two friends? Don't feel bad if you don't. Hyung will find you some.”

Kyungsoo huffed. “I have plenty. I think I’ll ask Jongin and Sehun,”

Baekhyun’s antennas went up. He opened up his eyes and sat up quickly, wiggling his eyebrows.

“You know them? You know Kim Jongin?"  
  


Beside him, Jongdae gasped and whispered in horror, "Oh my god, no!"


	2. A Naked Slytherin, Tied Up Keeper, and a Baby Plant.

For the first time in ages, Baekhyun woke up with a smile on his face; the sun was already up, there was a small bird in his room, chirping from the top of his wardrobe (probably conjured by Jongdae — he was one of the best charmers in the whole school), Kyungsoo had left all the windows open to let the fresh air in (he was getting up extremely early for morning Quidditch practices these days), and even the Whomping Willow was quiet.

There was just something so motivating and uplifting about warm sunny days, especially after what seemed like an endless strike of gloomy rainy ones. Baekhyun felt the energy build up within him, so he was in a very good mood when he left his room — after making his bed, of course. 

When he came to land on the fifth floor, the first thing he saw was a sixth year Slytherin — Oh Sehun, was it? — looking out the window, with nothing but his underwear. He had a rather nice pair of ass… 

“Oy!” Bellowed Baekhyun. “What’re you doing here? And in  _ that _ state?” he demanded.

The boy slowly looked down at himself, as if he didn’t know he was almost naked. He shrugged and said “I was mugged,” 

“Mugged? What is — Who did this to you?”

Baekhyun took out his wand and looked around, but nobody was in sight.

“Junmyeon gave me the bathroom’s password ages ago,” Sehun said, eyeing Baekhyun’s wand with great interest. “Somebody — and I’m pretty sure I know who — stole my clothes.”

Kim Junmyeon was the Head Boy before Baekhyun, he was a pretty tight ass who never bended for anyone. “Why would he give you the password?” Baekhyun asked, putting his wand away when Sehun wouldn’t stop staring. 

Sehun shrugged. “We have known each other since we were kids?”

“How?”

“We’re cousins. Our mothers are sisters.”

Baekhyun frowned, why couldn’t this kid just say so from the beginning. Was he being a dick on purpose?

“All right, then why’re you just standing here? As warm as it is, your feet must be freezing, you’ll get sick. Go get dressed — who do you think stole your clothes?”

Sehun looked at him. “Tao,” he said, as if it should be obvious. Tao was another Slytherin, wasn’t he? Baekhyun didn’t know the kid well. He was tall, tanned, had lots of piercings, annoying laughter, and was extremely dramatic and teary…

“Did you offend him?”

“I may or may not have commented on his flat ass and the inability to last longer than 2 minutes.” 

Baekhyun started, and then closed his mouth. The  _ nerve _ on this kid! He wondered if Sehun could keep his cool if Baekhyun vanished his underwear and plastered whipped cream to cover his dick and ass, and force him to walk to his dormitory like that.

The thought was pleasing but instead he yelled. “Go back to your dorm! Five points from Slytherin for wasting my time and endangering your health — stop laughing or I’ll take more!”

Sehun gave him a lazy look-over before walking away, strides long and confident. “Oh by the way,” he said, not bothering to look back. “I was standing there because I thought it was curious how the Hufflepuff Keeper was bound to a tree, is all.” 

He cackled as Baekhyun spluttered and hurriedly looked out the window, and sure enough, there was someone on the ground, tied to a tree. 

Baekhyun made a beeline for the stairs, mentally going through all the Keepers he knew. Sehun said Hufflepuff, right? Okay okay he knew this, he knew this. He knew all the kids he needed to know. The kid was tall and handsome, everybody liked him. Kai, yes. He was called Kai. He was a good sport, wasn’t he? Always fair and stuff. He was the captain, wasn’t he? No? Okay so  _ maybe _ he didn’t know some of the stuff he needed to know.

Baekhyun ran down the stairs, three and four at a time, he just needed to make sure the kid was okay. He didn’t even pause when he turned a corner and ran into a ghost, which was always unpleasant. 

The kid was okay. Baekhyun sighed in relief when he saw the kid was, indeed, breathing, and there was no blood in sight. 

“Good morning,” Baekhyun greeted. “Are you okay?”

“Good morning,” the kid said softly. “Could … um.. could you get me out of here, please? I really need to use the bathroom.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, but took out his want and said “ _ Relashio! _ ” 

The bounds were cut and the kid got out of them. “Thank you,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck.

“Why are you here? Who did this to you?”

The kid pointed at the Quidditch Stadium with his chin. There was no mistake with the colors — The Gryffindor Quidditch team was flying around the sky.

“A Gryffindor did this?  _ Who the fuck? _ I’ll go get them right away! Baekhyun shouted in outrage. He could sense a headache sneaking up on him. “What the fuck is wrong —”

A laughter caught him off. 

“What’s so funny?” Baekhyun demanded, taken aback.

“You’re just so — I mean, you’re a Head Boy so I always thought — it’s okay! I wasn’t harmed. Kyungsoo was just joking around. He was actually getting back at me — it’s just a friendly rivalry between the teams, and we prank each other all the time, one time we even…” the kid smiled weakly and stopped talking, realizing perhaps that counting out misdeeds to a Head Boy wasn’t such a good idea.

Baekhyun crossed his arms and tried to look tall. “So they didn’t kidnap you from your dormitory? Or hit you? Did they hit you, because I can line them up for you and you can hit them back.”

The kid shook his head, blushing very prettily. “We just ran into each other on the field.” 

“What were you doing outside at the ass-crack time of dawn?”

“Just taking a walk; I went to bed really early last night. Thought I should see what the fuss was about morning walks.”

Baekhyun hummed. He took a good look at the kid. Maybe he shouldn’t call him a kid, he thought. He was, after all, much taller and well-built than him. He was also quite handsome, now that Baekhyun was close enough to see his features.

“How old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

“Sixth grade? Early birthday?”

Jongin nodded. “I was almost 11 when I enrolled — 10 years and 8 months actually. My parents wanted me to wait another year, but they let me decide in the end. Shall we take a walk? Would you like — we can walk … if you want.” he said rather abruptly, and then resolved to stare at Baekhyun’s hands, not meeting his eyes.

“Actually,” Baekhyun said, not missing the disappointed little deflate Jongin’s body made, “I was going to the bathroom when Oh Sehun helpfully let me know of your situation. I need to get washed.” he let the air settle in, and then added, “maybe you need to wash-up too?” 

Like a puppy, Baekhyun thought, when Jongin whipped up his head and grinned at him. 

They walked back to the castle together, and Baekhyun asked Jongin what he had done to Kyungsoo, promising that he wasn’t going to tell any of the teachers, or make Jongin write lines as a punishment.

“Well, one morning, he kept exploding whatever food I was holding. The sandwich was kind of okay, my oatmeal porridge, not so much. But then he went for my milkshake, which was my favorite and made for me especially, by the best house elf this school has ever seen: Dippy”

Baekhyun was impressed. “You know Dippy?”

“Yeah, she saved my life last year when I had overslept. If it wasn’t for her prodding and squeaking and spraying water onto my face, I would have missed my Transfiguration final.”

“Oof.”

“Yeah,”

“How come you overslept? Late night cramming?”

“Eeehhh, actually, I thought I should just read some manga since I couldn’t sleep; I had had too much energy drink during the day. So I was like,  _ hey _ , reading will make me sleepy, it didn’t. I just kept reading volume after volume. Then I noticed it was almost three in the morning. So I thought maybe I should just pull an all nighter, I was a big boy, I could do it … I couldn’t. Somewhere along the road, I had fallen asleep, and none of my shitty roommates thought to check behind the drapes when they left.”

“Yeah, they do that. So, back to your revenge on Kyungsoo?”

Jongin hissed in through his teeth. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but I’m afraid you’ll think me something of a dick.”

Baekhyun stopped and looked at Jongin, who looked ruffled, sleepy, and extremely warm. “What does it matter if I think you’re something of a dick?”

“Well,” Jongin fidgeted, looking anywhere but at Baekhyun. He then inhaled deeply, as if he was about to dive into a water, looked straight at him, and said, “I really like you, and I really wish I told you in a different setting but I’m afraid this might be my last chance, and my sister said to me last week in her letter that if I don’t do this, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life, and my sister knows everything. And I mean, everything. She’s like  _ magic _ , heh. So yeah, I like you. A lot. So, I would really rather not have you think me something of a dick.”

“Oh,” Baekhyun found himself smiling broadly, and hoped he wasn’t doing one of his creepy smiles. “Oh yeah?”

Jongin nodded and looked away again. “Yeah,”

“Since when? Come, walk with me.”

Baekhyun was very much aware of his hands, his legs, and his eyes. What did he usually do with them when he was around people?

They went upstairs together, Baekhyun leading the way but not really paying attention to where he was going or what was going on around him. Someone said good morning to him, he vaguely raised his hand in response.

“Well, since ... “ Jongin spoke as they were alone again. “Since my first official day of school, the day after we arrived, you know? You probably don’t remember but during that breakfast, you were walking around handing out free chocolate frogs to everyone. You had tons of them in this basket you were carrying. Some boy — that I later found it out be Kim Jongdae — was with you but he was so angry,”

“Oh yeaaaaaaah,” Baekhyun giggled, remembering. “They were his chocolates.”

“They  _ were _ ?”

“Yup. He had been collecting them all summer, had this mighty idea of bribing people all year to do his homework for him, bring him food, carry him around, and stuff. So, the night we came in, before we went to bed, I made a bet with him that I would learn the summoning charm faster than him.”

Jongin made a dramatic gasping sound. “The summoning charm? A twelve year old?”

“Uh-huh. He took the bet, of course, thinking he would learn it in under a month or something; even then he was the best charmer of our age. But what I hadn’t told him was that I had discovered a surprising talent over the summer and actually had mastered Accio with my mom’s wand.”

“ _ Wow _ .”

“So, the very next morning, I summoned Jongdae’s basket full of Chocolate Frogs, he had a stroke at the tender age of twelve, and that was it. Now tell me what I did that day,” Baekhyun said impatiently, wanting to hear exactly how he got Jongin’s heart pining for him.

“Well, you gave me chocolate,” Jongin said simply. “I thought you were cute, and my heart was beating fast. Ever since then I would always look for you, and it wasn’t hard to find you. You were always going around yelling and laughing and annoying girls and throwing stuff at boys. For such a long time I wished we were in the same class. At least in the same house. One of my fantasies was that the Sorting Hat would suddenly declare that you were sorted in the wrong house, or I was. And then we'd be sharing common rooms, and you would give me chocolate — just to me, mind you. And you would help me with my homework, sit next to me when —”

Jongin groaned and hid his face behind his hands. “I said too much,” his voice was a bit muffled.

Baekhyun wasn’t in any better shape. His heart was beating faster than he had once tried to do what Muggles called HIIT. It would be fun, Minseok had said. Just thirty minutes, he had promised. No repeated movements, he had promoted. Healthy body, he had lectured. Abs, he had lured with. At the end of it, Baekhyun was left on the floor, desperately trying to breath and wincing each time because of the pain, which his whole body felt like it was made out of.

“Let’s just … let’s go to the bathroom. I believe you said you needed to go there. Come on, we’re almost there.” Baekhyun gestured ahead.

“But the bathroom is that way,” Jongin pointed to his left.

“Well, not  _ any _ bathroom,” Baekhyun said. “I meant the special bathroom only me, the Quidditch Captain, and the Prefect boys can use. It’s usually empty. Unless, you don’t want to? Because you don’t … you know, have to.”

Jongin looked around awkwardly again, which only made Baekhyun do the same. Damn, where was he supposed to look?

“Okay, I’ll go.” he said, and then added firmly,"I want to go. Can I also take a bath there?”

Baekhyun nodded. “Yeah, yeah, sure. We can ask Dippy to bring you some spare clothes.”

Jongin nodded eagerly and licked his lips. “Okay, yeah, so… shall we? Is it — I heard it was on the fifth floor?”

“That’s right, yeah,” Baekhyun didn’t know why he was suddenly so out of breath.

As they went back to climbing the stairs, Kang Seulgi ran right into them. She hadn’t seen them because she was hugging an enormous plant that sounded like it was actually giggling. And  _ they _ hadn’t seen her because they were both very busy staring at their shoes.

Seulgi shrieked and her eyes went comically big. “Oh, shit,” she let out, and her mouth was left open.

Baekhyun sighed, and was mildly astonished at how little he cared. Seulgi always had a thing for weird and totally-should-not-be-in-school plants, Baekhyun had always busted her. But now, it felt like it wasn’t really that much of a big deal. Unless this one also randomly spat at people with disturbing and hurtful accuracy.

“Does this one spit?” Baekhyun asked, narrowing his eyes.

Seulgi shook her head frantically. “No, no, no. She’s just a baby, see? She’s happy to see you both.”

Jongin and Baekhyun looked at the pulsing plumpy thing that looked like a really worn out inside of a football ball, and couldn’t figure out if the plant was actually happy, or if Seulgi was just fucking with them.

“Fine, go ahead. Don’t tell me where you’re going, or who else is involved in this. I didn’t see you, all right?”

Seulgi looked very surprised but nodded and hurried away. How she was hurrying away with something that looked heavier than a tire, Baekhyun didn’t know.

“There was a plant that spat at you?” Jongin said at the same time as Baekhyun asked, “What did you do to Kyungsoo?”

They smiled and chuckled nervously, again. 

“I can tell you while we take a bath?” Jongin suggested. “I don’t know about you but I’m not really into long silent baths. I mean I like my baths  _ long _ , but just not silent.”

“Me neither. Yes, let’s do that. Just please don’t laugh too much because that plant was a nightmare.”

Baekhyun wondered if he was just imagining Jongin emphasizing the word  _ long _ , or did Jongin really just intimate that they have a long bath talking about shitty people?

Jongin smiled, and did his thing where he would look down for a moment. He was still smiling when he looked up at Baekhyun. “Okay, I promise.”

And that left Baekhyun furiously going through spells in his brain, hoping to find one where he could lock the door from the inside with no counterspell, or at least charm the door so it would kick whoever said the password. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just three years ago around today's date, the wind was slicing my ass off and freezing up my thoughts to make millions. Today it was 12 degrees. Positive 12 degrees! What's going on, man? I need my cold and I need my snow! Most of all, I don't wanna go through and die in an apocalypse. It only looks cool and exciting in movies.


	3. Him and Her and Him.

They shared. They always shared, each time, each one. Well, Jongin did. Baekhyun just had Jongin.

Baekhyun’s hands held her wrists, keeping her arms pulled backwards. His dick went in and out of her at a fast pace, trying not to slip out of her again. She was so wet, Baekhyun had to be extra careful about keeping his thrusts controlled.

Jongin groaned, eyes closed, rolling his hips gently into her mouth. She was so good at it. Not once did Baekhyun hear her choke, or gasp loudly for air. She kept it all under control. It was impressive.

“I’m gonna cum, baby. I’m gonna cum,” Jongin said, his voice was slightly hoarse. Baekhyun didn’t know if Jongin was talking to her, his girlfriend, or Baekhyun.

She clenched around Baekhyun, once and then twice. A halt, and then another clench. Was she hoping to get Baekhyun and Jongin finished around the same time? Or was this a signal to let Baekhyun know that she was close, too?

Baekhyun slowly let go of her hands, thinking she might need the support. They  _ had  _ been at this for a while now, after all. Once she was safely on her all fours, Baekhyun shifted his aching knees closer to her, buried himself deeper into her and made his job to snap his hips as fast as possible, without giving her a break. He sneaked his hands upwards and cupped her breasts, playing with them. So soft and pleasant in his hands, it was a shame Baekhyun didn’t have the view to watch it jiggle around as he fucked her. 

“Ahh… ahh, haa,” Jongin’s voice when came was exquisite. His fast paced breathing, his little moans and pants — Baekhyun could never get enough of it, he knew.

He pulled out so she could catch a break, and watched as Jongin came down her throat. His body was almost dripping wet from the sweat. Jongin kept his half-closed eyes on Baekhyun as he came, hips stuttering.

Again, she kept it quiet and controlled until Jongin got his dick out of her mouth. She kissed Jongin and then turned around, flopped on the bed, on her back and legs spread.

“Just us to go,” she murmured, smiling prettily at Baekhyun. Jongin chuckled, brushing her hair away from her face. 

Baekhyun was glad for the view, her breasts really were pretty. Not too small, not too big, just the perfect size. It kept moving as Baekhyun rammed into her, she gasped and then moaned in delight when Baekhyun found her spot again. 

“Yes, right there, right there, right there … hhaa ....you’re so good,” she was holding hands with Jongin, who was watching Baekhyun. 

Baekhyun winked at him and then fastened up his pace even more.

It didn’t take long for her to start shivering underneath him, she came without making much sound, just lots of small gasps, eyes unfocused. Baekhyun fucked her slowly throughout her orgasm, pulled out and then got up from the bed and made his way to the coffee table, his dick still hard and very very wet. 

“What’s wrong?” Jongin asked, coming up behind him.

“Just got thirsty,” Baekhyun replied, and gulped down an entire glass of water right away. He sighed in satisfaction. “That’s better,”

Jongin’s chin came to rest on his shoulder. His hand landed on Baekhyun’s stomach for a second before grabbing his dick. “You’re still hard,”

Baekhyun hummed and looked at her. She was watching.

“So I am,” He said before tilting his head sideways to meet Jongin’s lips.

Jongin jerked him off while they kissed and kissed. Baekhyun didn’t look at her again until he was coming, his mind lost somewhere in between the pleasure he felt from his orgasm, and the one he got, the one he always got, from letting her know that he was  _ more _ important, and  _ always _ would be. 

Baekhyun and Jongin belonged, she was new and possibly temporary. It was crucial that she knew. Jongin always let them know beforehand, but Baekhyun would always make sure.

Baekhyun fucked Jongin in the middle of the night again. Jongin was grunting his frustration at how his dick was practically stuck between his body and the bed, and how Baekhyun wasn’t letting him get his hand in there, because he really really,  _ please _ , needed to come.

She woke up with a small startle, and then, when she saw what was happening, stretched with her hands over her head, eyes curiously going over where Baekhyun and Jongin were connected.

She didn’t say anything. Just watched them.

Baekhyun finally got on his knees, to give up his seat on Jongin’s thighs.

“Ugh, haaa… finally,” Jongin grabbed his dick and started jerking himself off. He must have noticed her awake, because he said, “Did we wake you up?”

She nodded. “I wish you had woken me up in the beginning,”

“Why?”

Baekhyun stopped fucking into Jongin.

“Wait, hyung!” Jongin grunted. “Why did you stop? Don’t stop — I was so close just now. Don’t stop!”

But Baekhyun didn’t go back to fucking Jongin right away. He kept his eyes on her, and she seemed to get the message.

She nodded, just ever so slightly, her lips formed a small smile, and Baekhyun knew that they had an understanding.

Maybe this one will last long, he hoped, ramming into Jongin. They went along well; she was smart and had a fantastic sense of humor, and she seemed at least just as content with them as they were with her, if fingering herself while watching them was any kind of indication.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna write so much tomorrow, I lie to myself everyday. I actually believe in it for that moment everyday though.


	4. Resist, if you can.

Baekhyun slammed the door with such force that Jongin wouldn't have been surprised to see cracks appearing on the wall.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" He bellowed. "Just break it, why don't you?"

The bastard just scoffed and locked the door with a click. He then took off his helmet and threw it on the floor. "We can't go on like this. We settle this now. You and me."

"Fine: stop being a dick," Jongin spat out. "Done."

"It takes two to tango, u dipshit." Baekhyun spat back at him. "If you could stop being a pretentious snob with everything, I wouldn't waste my whole day fantasising all the ways I could choke you."

Jongin took a step towards Baekhyun, and then another. He liked it when he made Baekhyun look up at him. "There would be no need for violent fantasies, if you would be serious for just one fucking minute, and realize for once in your life that not everything is something you can joke about and bullshit through it."

“I’m just trying to get the guys through the day. You want to whip their asses raw everyday until they collapse. That’s not how you train a warrior, you imbecile.”

“Imbecile? Oh, that’s mature.”

“And leaving dog feces on my bed was?”

“That was three years ago when we were still trainees!” Jongin exclaimed. God, Baekhyun could hold a grudge. “Let it go already! Besides,  _ you _ were the one who hit my drink and made me spill it all over my shirt! I had to run back to my room and get changed, and that ruined my whole week’s laundry plan.”

Baekhyun laughing mockingly. All exaggerated and loud. “ _ Laundry plan _ ? I’m so so fucking sorry for that. I would have apologized and sucked your dick for a week had I known. Whatever should I do now that my whole body is in anguish from the dishonor I brought upon my good name! Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh MY!” Then he dropped the mocking tone. “What the fuck is a laundry plan? You wash your delicates separately?”

Baekhyun’s eyes were narrowed and his chin was jutting out.

Jongin smirked, no matter how much Baekhyun lifted up his chin, he was still a bean.

“You talk as if I’m this asshole dictator with no heart,” he said softly. There was no need to shout since Baekhyun was so close to him. He never liked shouting anyway. If he were to be civil all of a sudden, maybe Baekhyun would get embarrassed and follow along, and maybe he might even forget about his laundry plan. But most importantly, Jongin needed to get a grip on himself and not show how the words  _ suck your dick _ made his whole body jolt with something.

“I just want them to push themselves just a bit further everyday; it won’t kill them. If they never see themselves hanging in there, trembling and tired, but still  _ there _ , then they won’t understand just how far they can go. I have to be rough, don’t you understand? They can’t have any other option than my words, but if you keep sitting there waving candies and pillows…”

Baekhyun tsked. “I give a lollipop just  _ one  _ time to just  _ one _ kid, I swear these miserable ... “ he continued to mumble to himself, looking down at whatever.

Jongin was very confused whether he wanted to grab him by his hair because he was the bastard who made his life very difficult for a very long time, or pat him because he was really so small.

For the lack of anything to say — Jongin would later on defend himself — he said, “Also you should stop it with the lip piercing. It’s dangerous. One wrong move and your lips would be split in half. Along with your stupid ears.”

Baekhyun scoffed at him. His eyes were all cold and smoky. “My ears aren’t stupid.”

“Yes, they are, and so are your piercings. Last month I saw you with Jongdae hyung — did you not notice how your piercing got stuck on his shirt for a moment? I mean, you had him on a lock, but if he hadn’t realized it and released the damn thing in time, you wouldn't be here to talk shit to me.”

“I still would have told you to fuck off, with or without lips,” Baekhyun started but then paused just as quickly. “Why were you watching me and thinking about my lips?”

He asked the question with way more suspicion than the situation called for. Jongin could have sworn all of his blood went rushing to his face. He had none in his legs and arms and chest. None. But he still managed to correct Baekhyun. “I wasn’t  _ watching you _ , nor was I thinking about - about your  _ lips _ ! I was  _ surveying _ the training.”

Baekhyun smiled, the most evil smile Jongin had ever seen on a human being, including the time Jongdae gave him one before pushing him off the roof of a skyscraper. 

“ _ Sooooo  _ you think about my lips.”

“I don’t!” Jongin snarled, very aware of his heart in his throat. “Even if I did, it would be about biting it off.”

“ _ Really now _ ?” Baekhyun came closer to him. “Okay,” He was too close. “I see.” Why was he leaning up?

When Baekhyun's lips touched his, and stayed there for several moments, Jongin was unable to shove him away, which was his usual response to anything related to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun backed off. “You didn’t bite it off,” he whispered. Jongin felt like his eyes weren’t so cold anymore.

“You took me by surprise,” Jongin confessed. “Here, I'll do it now.” He then pulled Baekhyun to himself, grabbing him by the waist.

But this time, despite all his promises, instead of biting Baekhyun's lips off Jongin found himself devouring it.

One of Baekhyun’s hands was in his hair, brushing and pulling and just generally being annoying, but Jongin wasn’t annoyed, for he was too busy digging his fingers into the glorious flesh of Baekhyun’s ass.

Baekhyun kissed exactly like how Jongin had thought he would — demanding, powerful, and addictive. His tongue wouldn’t leave Jongin’s alone, and whenever Jongin needed some air, Baekhyun would give him but a second before going back to ruin Jongin’s sanity.

How it happened, Jongin didn’t notice, but all of a sudden he was holding Baekhyun up by his ass and waist, while Baekhyun’s hands were touching all of his back, never quite settling in one spot. Jongin didn’t mind, everything was fine as long as Baekhyun was touching him. 

Then they were on the floor, Baekhyun was rolling his hips and making a mess out of Jongin’s lips. Then he pulled back just to take off his protective vest. When he started to unbutton his shirt, Jongin’s dick gave an eager twitch, and he could have sworn that Baekhyun noticed it, for the bastard smirked, looking down at him.

“Jongin, do you want me?”

What the fuck kind of question was that?

“What the fuck kind of question is that?”

“Oh my god, just answer me!”

“Of course I do! Did you not get it from the kiss, or the grabbing, or my hard dick you’re sitting on, or what?”

Jongin groaned in misery when Baekhyun stopped moving his hips.

“How do you want me?”

Jongin glared at Baekhyun, who blinked his eyes at him prettily. Okay, then, Jongin thought to himself. It takes two to tango, Baekhyun had said, hadn't he?

“I want you to suck my cock,” he said. “I want to fuck you from behind, I want to fuck you while you face me. I wanna see you ride my cock, I wanna hear you beg me to go harder. On the bed, over the window, bent over my dining table, on my couch, wherever. I want you, Baekhyun. I don’t want you to sleep tonight, at least not without me.”

Baekhyun, who had started to go red in the face as soon as Jongin had said he wanted him to suck his cock, had gotten incredibly red. Even his ears were red. But he had kept an eye-contact with Jongin throughout the whole thing.

“Well then,” he said weakly, and Jongin was pleased to see him shiver a bit. “You’d better take me home right now,”

Jongin blinked. “What?”

“Take me to your home, Jongin,” Baekhyun said again. “Unless you want to let anyone who could walk by this door to hear me scream your name, because — I have to be honest with you — I’m running out of self control here.”

He had never been so distracted, but he had never been so determined before either. Just the thought of some lanky kid hearing Baekhyun’s moans, that were meant for Jongin, infuriated him so much that Jongin ignored all the rules and protocols, and how much shit he would get in for it if they were to be found out, and teleported on the spot.

He landed on his bed with Baekhyun on top of him. He could see how impressed Baekhyun was with him, briefly looking around his room. His apartment was not exactly neighbors with the training center. Very few could have done what Jongin had just done. Maybe nobody else, considering the amount of blood he was supplying to his dick.

“This is your home?”

“Yep,”

Baekhyun licked his lips and finally took off his shirt. “Well, then, let’s see just how good your words are,”

And when they kissed this time, Jongin noticed that he wasn’t the only one smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment T.T I'm actually crying here.


	5. The Library from the Past

They entered the library through the main door with Jongdae. The building’s design was very unique — you couldn’t pinpoint when it was built because of all the different styles mixed in. The huge two doors with round edges reminded Jongin of a church, but they had very old Asian engravings. The handles were (probably) European style but had the heads of Asian lion statues on them. 

“I swear these had silver flowers on them,” Jongdae said, tracing the handles with his finger.

Jongin wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be alarmed — this was Jongdae. 

The inside was a bit dark and very silent, as the doors closed behind them, the place engulfed them into complete and utter stillness. Some windows were broken or some were completely gone, but somehow they couldn’t hear anything from the outside. 

There was a long row of tall lamps, leading the way to two staircases that emerged into the first floor’s landing, where Jongin could see a floor-to-ceiling window. To their right were some bookshelves, and to their left, long desks with forgotten chairs. 

Jongin looked down and saw a weird shape, right in the center of the hall, some of it hidden underneath years of dust and ruin. 

“Weird shape. Never saw it before.” From what Jongin could see, it was round with two lines that made an X in the middle, but there was another shorter line from the left side, was it supposed to continue or left there unfinished for a purpose, Jongin didn’t know. He felt a weird urge to sweep the floor to unveil the shape. It felt like it was something he should do.

“They say this shape changes every time you see it.” Jongdae said loudly. Jongin winced as Jongdae’s voice was carried away. “Well, I’m going to start here and look through the catalogs.” He had brought along two bottles of beer, one of which he opened and started drinking.

“Should we go up, or do you think we should stay and check?” Jongin asked Baekhyun, who pondered his question for a moment.

“Let’s go up,” he said. “I think it’s more fun if we just find it accidentally.”

None of the lamps were lit but the place had very good lightning. The moon was shining brightly from the massive window on the landing, but Jongin couldn’t help but think this place was not ordinary. He could have sworn that this place was darker when they entered. It felt like the library was accommodating them. 

The second floor was pretty much empty except for endless bookshelves and more desks. The bookshelves were completely empty. The desks had little round lamps on them but they had no cords.

“Hyung, what are we looking for?” Jongin whispered. “What is this ‘the book’ you guys kept saying?”

“Come, let’s walk,” Baekhyun whispered and led the way to their right. “Jongin, did you read The Complete Tales of Monsters?”

“Yes. It’s one of my favorites. Didn’t, like, every child on earth read that series? I still read it every year. I wish we could get more supernatural and mystery books.”

Baekhyun nodded. “Then you know about the legend? About the lost first book?”

Jongin stopped. “You mean the one the that was first to come out of print and was given to the author? The one that was never found? Even her family didn’t know what she had done with it? Hyung ... are you saying what I think you’re saying? She went here, to our school, didn’t she?”

“Very good,” Baekhyun smiled. “Now you can hear about our own little legend: They say that the author was particularly fond of our school. She was still a student here when her first book was published, and even though she could have easily left school, she stayed for the memories. At least, that’s what they say. This library was her favorite place on campus. She probably wrote most of her books here.”

They came to a narrow hall with four doors. Two on each side.

“Let’s not split,” Jongin said. 

Baekhyun smiled at him. “Wanna hold hands?”

Jongin wasn’t sure what he had just heard. “Hyung?”

“Would you like to hold hands? I understand that I dragged you into this. I’m sorry.”

“I… you didn’t do anything wrong. So — I’d like to.” Jongin cleared his throat and said, with more confidence than he felt, “I wanna hold your hand.”

Baekhyun silently took Jongin’s right hand with his left, and opened the door. The room had one small window but, again, the place was way too bright. As grey and kind of blue as it was, they could see everything quite clearly.

There was a desk with a single chair, facing a shelf with glass doors. 

“It’s all empty,” Baekhyun said. “And this desk doesn’t have a drawer. Let’s check the other rooms.”

But Jongin had noticed something. Something that had glistened under a light and caught Jongin’s eyes, almost as if it winked at him. “Hyung, look at this,” he pointed at the shelf. “Look at the glass, there’s something on it.”

Baekhyun leaned in to look. “Colorless drawing,” he said. “It’s like an imprint. Weird shape. Do you know what it means?”

Jongin shook his head. “That’s one, two, three, four and five triangles. Wait, one of them isn’t a triangle.”

“But if you look at the big picture, it’s part of a square. There’s one on each side,” Baekhyun said. “There’s a smaller version in the middle.”

“And again a line on the left,” Jongin murmured, tracing the shape with his fingerprints. He felt like he should know the meaning. It was the strangest feeling.

“I feel like I saw this before, but I don’t think I did. This place is making me feel weird.” Baekhyun said and squeezed Jongin’s hand.

“But not scary?”

“No, definitely not.”

“Yeah, me too.” Jongin squeezed Baekhyun’s hand back.

One of the doors were locked, and kicking it down really didn’t sit well with them, so they left it. The other two rooms were just as empty as the first but bigger. One of them had another strange shape on the ceiling: four tear drops connected, but with another line on the left side. If the last room had a mysterious shape to offer, they didn’t find it.

After investigating the rooms, Jongin sat down on one of the tables with Baekhyun, sad to let go of his warm hand, and Baekhyun continued with the school’s legend.

“Basically, they think she left the first copy here. Many of the students from her days said that she carried it around with her and there were always some papers stuck between the book. Maybe she was writing notes for the second book, maybe she thought there was some stuff she wanted to change in the first book, who knows? All we know is, the book is missing and it’s turning into the biggest mystery she didn’t write.”

“But why here?” Jongin said. “Why not in one of her houses? Or maybe she gave it to her children and they decided to keep it a secret?”

“Could be. But, doesn’t it make you feel something?” Baekhyun said, looking around the empty tall walls admiringly. “What if it’s true? What if this school was so special to her that she left the book when she graduated? Anyway, that’s the school legend — the book is in our school, in this very library.”

Jongin nodded, thinking. “Who told you this?”

“Ah, Minseok hyung. He graduated too, but I see him every other day. We’re pretty close.  _ He  _ heard it from a sunbae called Changmin. That’s how the story goes around — from a sunbae to their favorite hoobae.”

Jongin slowly smiled. His insides were going through havoc tonight. “Thanks, hyung. But didn’t they search this place? I mean, lots of people are after the first book, right?”

Baekhyun nodded. “Private collectors, museums, actual treasure hunters, her own family… Minseok hyung said the library was searched many times. The book was never found.” Baekhyun chuckled and said, “I didn’t really come here expecting to find it…”

“Then why did you accept Jongdae hyung’s dare? He said we would win if we  _ get _ the book before him.”

“Why did I accept the dare, knowing that I would lose?” Baekhyun pinned Jongin down with a look. “Why do you think, Jongin?”

“I … for fun?” Jongin said, feeling like burying himself. He knew he was chickening out, but it felt incredibly arrogant or just flat out impossible to say ‘to be with me?’ out loud. 

Baekhyun just hummed and didn’t say anything. He looked amused but a little bit disappointed.

Jongin cleared his throat. “Should we try going through the shelves just in case? Maybe there’s a secret compartment.” He made an attempt to laugh.. “Or maybe even a secret room behind a wall or under the floor, like in her books. She loved secret places.”

Baekhyun hummed again and took Jongin’s hand. He had never realized just how intimate of an act holding hands was.

It felt good to walk through the ancient shelves. All empty and dusty, but there was something warm to it. Maybe it was the youthful energy that once filled the place. Here and there, they tapped and knocked and pulled, but nothing opened.

“So, do you have a favorite?” Baekhyun asked.

Jongin didn’t need to ask what Baekhyun was talking about. “Kai.” he said confidently. “I really liked his power — teleportation. And he was the coolest.” Jongin added. “Always so smooth and powerful. Who’s yours?”

“Why do you assume I have a favorite?”

“Everyone has a favorite Monster. Misunderstood teens, who have awesome superpowers, saving lives and solving the mystery of their existence. Come on, you must have imagined to be at least one of them.”

Baekhyun burst out laughing giddily. “Yeah, I did. Fine, I liked Light. He was so… playful and I wanted to be like him, but — now that I think about it — he was very thoughtful and mature, too.”

“Like you,”

Baekhyun quickly looked at Jongin. “Thanks… I don’t know why that made me feel so good, but it did. Thank you. Did you ever just look at a random big tree and pretended like it was the Tree of Life?”

Jongin noticed Baekhyun changing the topic, but gave in anyway. And was he just hoping (again) but was Baekhyun’s ear looking pretty red?

“I definitely did. The biggest one in our middle school’s yard. Me and Sehun used to sit by the tree — there was a bench and table — and read the series during lunch hour. We loved it so much. When we were younger, we used to have these ‘fights’. Acted like we had superpowers.”

“Did Sehun perhaps like Hun?”

“Yeah, he did. Always said that Hun’s real full name was Sehun. He insists on it even now.”

“Does he now? I must push on that button, then.”

“Please let me know when you do it. I’d love to watch it.”

Without realising, their steps had been slowing and they naturally came to a halt by a round window that seemed to have taken no damage. This one’s shape was leafy.

Jongin and Baekhyun stood, facing each other, still holding hands. Jongin thought they would just turn and go back but Baekhyun didn’t move.

“Jongin,” he whispered, running his thumb through Jongin’s palm before looking at him. His eyes were incredibly soft, but alight. Jongin couldn’t have looked away even if his life depended on it.

“Yes, hyung?” Jongin stepped closer, just a tiny bit, but the difference was huge. Their bodies were almost touching now and Jongin thought Baekhyun must be able to feel the way Jongin’s heart was thundering inside him. 

Baekhyun’s tongue darted out to flick against his lips and then disappeared. Jongin wanted to catch it with his lips. He leaned down a bit and looked at Baekhyun, asking for permission. Baekhyun didn’t move away, but actually leaned up to him. Jongin moved further to kiss Baekhyun because he was going to die if he didn’t, he knew it. He just knew it. His heart, now in his throat, would leap out of his body and shatter.

But then something rustled against his body, caressed his cheeks and ruffled his hair. Someone gasped in delight. 

They both looked to their left and saw a girl standing there, looking at them.

The Minho dude was right, was Jongin’s first thought. The girl did look like she had passed, like she didn’t belong where she stood. Not really, not anymore. Why wasn’t he dying, was his second thought. Jongin was terrified of ghosts and hated scary movies. Even hearing parts of scary stuff left him unable to sleep for a good few nights. So even if the girl meant no harm to him, Jongin knew his heart should have stopped beating the moment he saw her.

Despite all his fears, his heart was okay, even his breathing was normal. He didn’t feel afraid of the girl, who was clearly a ghost. She was good news, Jongin knew that. He felt it in his bones. She was good and Jongin knew her. And where had that thought come from? He had never met the girl before but he felt it — and he just knew that she was no stranger to him.

“Hyung,” he said, mildly surprised at how calm he sounded. “Do you see her too?”

Baekhyun’s answer was a bit shaky. “Yes, I see her. Who are you?” he added to the girl, taking a step towards her.

She smiled and Jongin thought she was crying, even though there were no tears on her glassy face. She opened her mouth but then closed it slowly, as if remembering something. Shifting from foot to foot, she looked like a child in trouble.

“We can — can we help you? Do you need anything?” Jongin asked, wanting nothing more than to have her stop looking so sad.

She stood still for a moment and then sat down on her feet, hugging her knees. Her lips were pursed and she seemed to be in a deep thought.

“I know her,” Baekhyun whispered and sniffled. “I mean, I don’t. But  _ I know her _ .”

Jongin felt his heart go heavy too. It was the strangest feeling. There was a memory, he knew. Like from a dream he only knew he had, but couldn’t remember anything about it.

Before Jongin could answer Baekhyun, the girl jumped up to her feet, looking excited. She turned and took a few steps before stopping and waving at them, gesturing for them to follow her.

They went after her immediately, still holding hands and Jongin felt a mad urge to laugh.

The girl flew over the stairs and took them to the highest floor. She stood waiting by the rail, as Baekhyun and Jongin caught up to her, out of breath. 

She pointed downstairs and they looked down.

Baekhyun gasped sharply. “Oh my… that’s… Jongin —”

Jongin’s entire body went into a shock at what he was seeing. From where they stood, they could see that all the bookshelves and desks were strategically placed, so that if one looked down, there was a maze to be seen. Everything connected into each other and made perfect lines. Right in the middle of it was a hexagon, but with an opening on its left part.

“The maze from the book.” Jongin whispered. His chest went heavy and Jongin didn’t know what he was mourning for. He closed his eyes when Baekhyun gently wiped the tears from his eyes.

“That's the ground floor, the shape you saw.” Baekhyun said. “Do we go down there?” he asked the girl, who nodded eagerly.

She looked at Jongin with pleading eyes, like asking him to not cry.  _ It’s okay _ , she seemed to say.  _ Everything’s good _ .

“Are you … are you her?” Jongin said. “Please, are you her?”

The girl looked startled and looked away. Then she nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this for "A Bad Idea" when they went to check out the library for a dare, but then decided to rewrite the whole thing because that story wasn't meant to be this supernatural. Back then, I had a thought of developing this into a full story. Maybe I will one day, when I can make my ass sit down and write lol


	6. Jongin.

Kai was sex.

Up on the stage, under the scorching, blinding lights, he stood alone with you. He looked at you like he wanted to eat you up, like he wanted to drink you dry and consume your soul. Kai saw you, noticed you, he liked what he saw, and he let you know. He smiled, he smirked, he winked, he beckoned, and he made sure you knew you were the one.

You could see him clearly, coming at you. You could feel him fully, kissing you and holding you. Kai was yours, and there was nothing that could stop him.

Until the song ended, that is.

Once off the stage, he was Jongin. Kim Jongin.

Jongin would bow down to the staff and thanked them for their hard work, he accepted the praises and the congrats with a shy smile and eyes that would never really reach yours.

He got into his car amidst screams that pierced his ears, flashes that hurt his eyes, and unwelcome hands that tried to touch him. A small touch, not even a grip, was all they wanted, as if to get a drop of his glory and energy.

Baekhyun saw it all.

He was there when Jongin collapsed, he saw him when Jongin cried, he heard him when Jongin screamed, and he was there to hold him through all. 

Jongin was not sex.

He was sincere when he whispered love words for Baekhyun, eyes pleading and hands nervous. He was patient when Baekhyun didn’t know what to say, or what to feel. He was considerate when Baekhyun mumbled and fumbled, something so unlike him. Baekhyun thought it might turn him off, but Jongin just shook his head and said that there was nothing Baekhyun might do that he wouldn’t like. Baekhyun didn’t know if his heart lived or died because of those words.

Jongin was understanding when Baekhyun felt guilty about always being on the receiving end. Just letting him touch him was enough, he had said. They weren’t doing business, they were trying to see where their feelings might lead them. There was no give or take; there was no obligation.

Jongin was reliable. He was honest about Baekhyun’s mistakes, but he was also loving with them. Yes, Baekhyun did talk too much, but it took off the burden that the other members were feeling to fill the time. Yes, Baekhyun might have been bouncing around too much on the set, but it was a constant source of strength. Like sunlight, Jongin had said once before kissing him, warm and uplifting.

For Baekhyun, Jongin was love. Someone worth living for.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna eat so much cake tomorrow lol


	7. Baekhyun

Baekhyun’s alarm went off as Jongin entered the room.  He watched as Baekhyun  blindly groped around the nightstand for a few seconds before grabbing his phone and silencing it .  Baekhyun brought his phone up to his face — to check the time, Jongin guessed — and made a very ugly face as the harsh light of his phone screen assaulted his eyes .

He must have lost his grip on his phone because the next second, the damn device was landing on Baekhyun’s face.  Baekhyun yelped and muttered something Jongin couldn’t understand from where he was standing .

Baekhyun threw his phone away and touched his nose, kicking his feet in tantrum, like a child denied the second bar of chocolate . His eyes found Jongin standing in the doorway and pouted.

“Are you  just going to stand there while I perish in misery?”

Jongin’s eyes were teary. Why, he didn’t exactly know. But he had some ideas.

This was his boyfriend huffing and puffing on the bed. Byun Baekhyun was his boyfriend.

Baekhyun was like a magnet. He didn’t do anything special to pull Jongin to himself the way he did when they first met; it was in him. It was how he was.  The way he talked, the way he laughed, the way he joked, even the way he made fun of you made you feel special, like you  were chosen , selected, wanted .

He was so very witty, and even more intelligent, though few knew about it. He could be blinding like that.  One would be so busy keeping up with his humor and energy and curiosity, to notice actually how reasonable he was, how humble and accepting .

Baekhyun was full of life, and he had enough to share it with everyone he loved. The more he loved, the more he lived.

Jongin stayed in the shadows long before he finally had the guts to shuffle his way to stand beside Baekhyun. He had had to actually tell himself over and over again not to look away whenever they met eyes. You have to look at him, he would remind himself. Look at him, watch him, and maybe, just maybe, Baekhyun will notice you.

He had been basking in the glory of spending the whole day with Baekhyun, when it happened. The credits started rolling, and Jongin’s heart sank with the thought of leaving. The day was over, it was time to go back to his room.

But Baekhyun’s arm was still on his shoulder, and he didn’t seem to think it was time to end the day of eating junk food and watching movies, so Jongin swallowed his fears and stood his ground.

Baekhyun had said his name, then. Jongin looked at him, and found himself closer to Baekhyun than he had ever been in his life. He could feel Baekhyun’s breath on him, soft and warm, and it smelled like the Choco pie he had shared with Jongin.

The room was dark except for the light coming out of the TV, but Baekhyun was, as always, bright.

His eyes had caught Jongin then, pulling him in and pressing him down. Jongin went happily.

When Baekhyun kissed him, Jongin understood for the first time in his life how it feels to have a completely happy heart. Baekhyun was kissing him, it was the greatest thing in the world, and everything else was going to be just fine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Year goal: don't set too high goals for yourself.


	8. Tbh

“What do you mean he can’t lie?

“Well, it means he can’t lie,”

“I mean, what does that mean?”

“Jongin, are you being dumb on purpose? Just to piss me off again? It means he can’t lie. Baekhyun, being the dumbass that he is, drank a potion that turned out to be the potion that makes me tell the truth. Now he can’t lie to save his shitty face! 

“Can you believe how dumb Baekhyun was? I warned him, again and again. Don’t go sniffing weird things, I told him. Definitely don’t eat or drink what you don’t recognize, I warned him. Did he listen,  _ noOooOooOoo _ . I leave him for one moment in this creepy hut we discovered — Look, I know you think that the sun shines thanks to Baekhyun’s ass, but you gotta talk to him. For sOMe reason, he listens to you.”

Jongin wanted to introduce Jongdae’s face with a shit ton of bricks.

“Where is he? Is he okay?”

Jongdae chuckled happily. “Oh yeaaaaaah, he’s fine. Locked himself in his room with a bunch of food. Apparently he’s going to stay in there until midnight.”

“Midnight. That’s when the potion will wear off?”

“Yup.”

“And when did you guys arrive?”

“About an hour ago. Kyungsoo tortured him for a while and did some recording, but that’s all.”

“That’s horrible. What did he ask?”

“I don’t know. Kyungsoo said we’ll have to pay if we want to hear it.”

Now, Jongin wanted to introduce Kyungsoo’s face with a pile of horse shit.

Baekhyun’s room was on the top floor, along with Jongin’s and Minseok’s. Minseok had always said that the gods cursed him with menaces of his life, instead of the love of his life.

It wasn’t their fault, really. Trouble just seemed to have a way of finding them. Like the time Jongin and Baekhyun decided to check if the spell book they found was legit, by summoning the most beloved pet of Satan. Satan wasn’t impressed, but he did go home without killing anyone, after everyone kneeled and begged for forgiveness.

Jongin knocked on Baekhyun’s door.

“Hyung, you alright?”

“Yes! No! Go away, Jongin! No, don’t go! Ughhhhhh … please com in, Jongin.”

There was a muffled sound of Baekhyun screaming into his pillow; Jongin had heard it many times before.

Jongin pushed the door open, and the usual creaking sound welcomed him, along with an utterly miserable looking Baekhyun. His white hair was messed up in all the glorious ways. Jongin suspected Baekhyun scratching his head in frustration. His room was as messy as it had never been. All of his closet doors were open, all the drawers pulled out. His clothes scattered all around the room; on the floor, on his desks, on his shelves, even a pair of pants were resting merrily on the chandelier.

But Baekhyun still looked like an angel, even more so than usual, with his white pants and white shirt. His white hair was standing up in all directions, and his silver glasses were lazily hanging around at the tip of his nose. It was hard for Jongin to understand exactly how Baekhyun could look hot while simultaneously looking like an adorable little grandma.

“Hi,” Baekhyun sat on his bed, cross legged and barefoot. He was hugging a pillow tightly to his chest.

“Hi, so I heard there was an … ah, incident with a potion?” Jongin picked up some books from the floor as he made his way to the only other sitting option in the room except for the bed and the floor.

The wind gently blew at his nape, from the open window behind him. It was his favorite spot in the whole room. Baekhyun’s room was round and was filled up with a giant bed, tall closets, numerous desks, bookshelves, and a large rug in the center of the room. 

“It was incredible, Jongin,” Baekhyun talked very quickly, as if he was being chased by a timer. “It’s hard to describe, but I swear that potion put a spell on me. There was a calling — well, not really a calling, but a calling. Does that make sense? No, it doesn’t. I’m sorry. It’s all so mushy in there — in my memory, and I always get nervous around you. You’d think knowing you and loving you for ten years would lose its excitement, but it never does —

Baekhyun inhaled sharply, shot Jongin a horrified look, and then dived face first into the pillow. He kept talking into it, and the reason behind why Baekhyun had been holding that pillow as if his life depended on it came to light: it did.

Jongin sat on the armchair with his mouth open. His heart had come to a screeching halt, and it stood staring at Baekhyun, daring to hope for the first time.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, 2021, be my one. The One, where I get my shit together.


	9. It's a good day, today

Jongin stood at the second floor of the cafeteria, seemingly chilling alone with his drinks as he watched over the students. His still body only looked just that. Inside, he was jumping up and down, running laps, and climbing mountains. 

Baekhyun was coming back today. Byun Baekhyun, the fourth prince of the kingdom, blessed with the power of light itself, was coming home today. He was trained, he was tested, and he came out victorious, as Jongin knew he would. 

Keeping his calm at the face of disaster was natural to Baekhyun, even though he paid the price later on, all by himself. Jongin had seen him once. Baekhyun had been just walking from the game room to the kitchen, whistling to himself, when he was on the floor in a matter of seconds. Jongin had run at him then, his own power of teleportation forgotten, and he found Baekhyun’s breathing ragged and eyes barely open.

Just wait, Baekhyun had said. Jongin wasn’t to lift him up, or try to make him sit up. Also, he was cold.

He had waited. As his insides twisted into painful knots, Jongin had waited, wiping the thin layer of sweat from Baekhyun’s forehead, and rubbing his back gently. After a few minutes that Jongin would remember for an eternity, Baekhyun got up to his feet, told Jongin that he needed to take a shower, and left to his room.

Panic attack, Baekhyun had explained later on. He wasn’t sure, but what else could it be? All the feelings Baekhyun swallowed down and kept behind the doors were bound to come out someday in some form. Despite what he seemed like, despite how he acted, Baekhyun actually had many thoughts running through his mind. He was just very good at directing them, controlling them, going over them, and selecting them. There was no such thing as not feeling nervous, just pretend like he wasn’t.

The Light of the Kingdom entered the cafeteria followed by everyone who wasn’t already in it. Loud cheers erupted, some kids started banging the tables, the cooks hit their pots while shouting his name, and Baekhyun gracefully waved around, grinning from ear to ear.

His hair was white now, when it had been black. His ears had many piercings, when it had none. He was a bit taller, his shoulders were broader, and his tiny tummy had gone flat. But his laughter was exactly the same; loud, annoying, infectious. It echoed throughout the building, amidst all the screams and the yelling.

Jongin watched, alone on the second floor, waiting.

Baekhyun was to give him an answer today.

Two years ago, when Baekhyun was sent away to the other side of the world, to save it, protect it, and keep the peace, Jongin found himself unable to just let him go without letting him know. He had to know. Jongin had to tell, otherwise he would just drop and die, he knew it. So he went to Baekhyun’s room, early in the morning. 

His words died and re-lived in this throat several times before he could stutter out his feelings. He liked Baekhyun. He loved Baekhyun, he really did. Ever since he was crowned the sixth prince of the kingdom due to his unique power, and invited to live in the palace along with the others, Jongin loved Baekhyun. With his mischievous eyes that were always up to no good, and big ears that would turn red when he was angry or caught in the act of drawing on the ancient paintings, Baekhyun had unknowingly captured Jongin’s heart, and had possessed it wholly, leaving Jongin no chance but to run along, just to keep himself sane.

“I’ll wait,” Jongin had pleaded. “You don’t have to make a decision now, I’ll wait.”

Baekhyun didn’t say anything for a long time, but just stood and watched Jongin until his phone started ringing — they were waiting for him. The plane was ready, and the crowd was there to bid goodbye.

“You’ll have an answer,” Baekhyun had promised. “When I come back. I’ll have it for you, the moment I come back. The first thing I tell you will be my answer, you can count on it.

His hand brushed against Jongin’s for a moment, and then he was leaving the room, where Jongin had stayed in for the whole day, wondering if he did the right thing. He had never known how hopeful his heart had been.

Jongin waited. For two years, he waited. He threw himself into his school and training. He went for a run every morning and evening, whether the sun was shining, or the sky was spitting blizzard at his face. He practiced until he was the only one left in the room, gasping and covered in his own sweat and blood from head to toe. The lonely moon was his only company.

Now, after two years, Baekhyun was here and he was looking at him. He had been searching for him, Jongin had noticed.

Jongin let go of the rail he was holding tightly, and closed his eyes. He breathed in, and then out; he had to remind himself how to do that. And when he opened his eyes, Baekhyun was standing in front of him.

He was alone; he had left his companions downstairs. Somewhere at the back of his mind, Jongin knew the cafeteria was jam packed, and that everyone in it was watching them, but he didn’t see them, didn’t hear them, didn’t know them.

There was only Baekhyun, and his smart eyes, and his pierced lips.

“Hi, hyung,”

Baekhyun was true to his words. His right hand caressed Jongin’s cheek, blowing life into it, and he pulled Jongin into the kiss that was his answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thetis, your son is gay and he's in love. That boy you keep wanting to murder, he's worthy. He's worthy of your son. Leave them be. Your son is alive and happy and is constantly getting laid. What more do you want?


	10. Why, hello there

The Red Alert went off just after midnight. Baekhyun had been in his bed, listening to music, when his guards started hitting on his door, begging for an answer.

“What’s going on?” Baekhyun opened his door, taking in the serious look all his guards had.

“I apologize for disturbing you, my prince,” the head guard said, saluting him. “I’m afraid an intruder has passed our security; we must place at least two guards by your side to protect you.”

Two young officers saluted him, and stood on attention, eyes looking straight.

Baekhyun rubbed his forehead. “Who’s the intruder? Do we have any information?”

“Nobody we know, we don’t even know where he came from. A teleporter, sir. That’s all we know. Due to his nature, we couldn’t — we’ll catch him, sir.” The head guard’s tone was measured, neutral, and calm, as usual, as he was trained and expected to be, but Baekhyun still caught the slight he felt over his name, for not being able to catch the intruder on time.

“Have my parents been notified?”

“Yes, sir. And the crown princess is in the consul room — she refused to go into the safe room ... as you will also, my prince?”

Baekhyun smiled. He felt bad for the head guard. It was a position of great strength and honor, but there was only so much one could do to protect his prince and princess when they were stubborn, prone to breaking rules, and possessed rare powers bestowed upon them by the gods themselves, or so everyone believed about the last part.

“You guessed right, sir,” Baekhyun said casually. “I will stay in my chambers. Keep me updated, on my phone.”

“Sir,” the head guard said. “I’m afraid it would be very dangerous for you to be alone right now. Please allow me to place Taeyong and Lucas with you. They are two of my best guards, and they will do their utmost best to keep you safe.”

Baekhyun measured up his options. There was no question of him being able to protect himself, but the head guard would insist, while apologizing profusely. It was his job, after all. So that was how they would end up wasting precious time that Baekhyun could spend going around the palace, in the search of this teleporter. He had never met a teleporter before, and so, suddenly, his casual night had turned into a land of exciting opportunities.

He pretended to ponder for a moment, as if making this decision was costing him some great displeasure.

“All right, they can stay, but in the sitting room. I will be in my study.”

The head guard was visibly relieved. “Thank you, my prince.”

It was a shame that Baekhyun had no intentions of using the young guards, who seemed to stand taller as he gave his permission.

Baekhyun instructed his guards not to disturb him unless their lives were in immediate danger, and disappeared into his study room, where he quickly made some preparations.

He took off his checkered pajama set, and put on a black combat suit identical to those his guards wore. As he tied up his boots, Baekhyun kept his eyes on the door, in case the youngsters burst into his room; and on his phone, where updates of where the intruder was last seen were pouring in.

The main kitchen; the dining hall; south tower; all over the roofs; bathroom number eighteen — the guy seemed to be looking for something he didn't know exactly where it was.

How dangerous was he? Would he shoot Baekhyun on sight? Why was he here, and what was he looking for?

Baekhyun got up to his feet, and was just contemplating whether or not to take a gun with him, when, with a pop and a whoosh, the intruder himself materialised from a cloud of black smoke.

The very first thing Baekhyun noticed was that the intruder was  _ scared _ , and he was just a kid. He wasn’t holding a gun, he didn’t make a move towards Baekhyun. If anything, he seemed to be just as confused as Baekhyun. It couldn’t be more obvious that he was not a threat. 

He was a tall skinny kid with black hair that was soaked from sweat; his eyes were soft and pleading, and he stood in front of Baekhyun, shaking from head to toe.

Baekhyun looked down and saw the kid’s black jacket was dark from blood on his left arm.

Without thinking, Baekhyun stepped forward and grabbed the kid’s arm. “Were you shot?”

The kid whispered something that Baekhyun didn’t understand. 

“What did you just say?”

Baekhyun could speak eight languages fluently, and was good enough to bullshit his way through it in four others, and had the basic knowledge of all the languages spoken throughout history, but the words that came out of the kid’s mouth was nothing he had ever heard before.

“What … what are you?”

The kid whimpered and hung his head low.

There was nothing he could do, but take off the kid’s jacket and inspect the damage. It wasn’t a gun wound, thankfully, but a simple cut on his forearm, not even a deep one.

Baekhyun put his finger on his lips and made a shushing sound, the kid seemed to understand him; he nodded and bit his lip. He winced and involuntarily pulled his arm a bit once, but other than that he stayed still and quiet as Baekhyun cleaned up his cut and bandaged it up.

After throwing away the bloody gauze pads in the bathroom, Baekhyun quickly washed his face with cold water and came back to his … guest.

He was a guest. What else would he be? Baekhyun would need to find someone who knew whatever that strange language with sharp edges and many pauses was … but until then, he would need to hide his guest, keep him safe.

If the government captured his guest, Baekhyun wasn’t sure if he could convince them to keep him free. No matter what his intentions were, he was a foreigner who had invaded the palace of the royal family, and had therefore threatened their well-being. He had a power — an extremely rare one — which made him the biggest threat they had seen until now.

There came a knock on his door. “My prince, may we come in?”

“No!” Baekhyun shouted, gesturing, with his hands, for the kid to stay still, as he had jumped up in alarm. “I’m coming.”

Baekhyun grabbed the kid’s arm and pulled him to his bookshelves, behind which a secret little room was. All one needed to do to find it was to pull three books from the shelves in a specific order, and whisper the magic words of the old Stum language. His mother herself had made the enchantment. The room was known by nobody else except the royal family.

He gave the kid a quick smile after gently pushing the kid in, who was starting to look ready to pass out. Maybe he had used his power too much, Baekhyun guessed, remembering the times he pushed himself too hard with his own power. 

As the door to his secret room closed, there was another knock in his door.

“My prince,” One of the young guards said. “Are you okay? We have an update for you.”

“Yes! I just need a moment.”

Baekhyun took off his clothes in seconds and threw them under his bed. He then opened the door, wearing only his underwear.

As he knew they would, the guards both lowered their heads at the sight. It wasn’t everyday they got to see their prince almost naked.

“I had just been taking a shower. Would have dressed up some more, but you sounded urgent,” Baekhyun kept his voice cool, but still put in a bit of a hint of displeasure. 

“We ask for a pardon, sir,” the taller one said. His big pretty eyes were troubled, and his cheeks were burning red.

The other one wasn’t in much better condition. Eyes darting all over the floor, the other one added. “The intruder seems to have vanished, my prince. He was spotted all over the palace up until about five minutes ago. We have to check everywhere and report back. Especially the private chambers of your royal highnesses, as they don’t have thermal scanners.”

Baekhyun didn’t speak right away; he had to at least pretend like he was surprised at the sudden disappearance of the intruder — his guest. 

He made himself look slightly concerned, thoughtful, and lost.

“Nobody is with me,” he then said. “I will want a full report tomorrow morning. You’re welcome to go and look around, if you want. I’m perfectly capable of keeping myself safe; it was a mistake of me to waste your time like this. You’re excused. Good night.”

The young guards looked up at him, and then looked down just as quick.

“Our time was not wasted,” the shorter one said. His ears were almost invisible between piercings, and his lips were plump and distracting.

But, as it happened, Baekhyun had an even more distracting someone hidden in his room, so he dropped his gaze, and cleared his throat meaningfully. “Good night. You may come back if the intruder bothers us again. Also, tell my sister that I don’t want him killed, understood? You catch him, you catch him alive.”

“Yes, sir,   
  


“Good night, my prince.”

Baekhyun waited and listened to the young guards’ footsteps fade away, until they went through his sitting room door and closed it behind them.

His guest was curled up into a ball on the couch. He said some stuff when Baekhyun entered, but then dropped mid sentence (Baekhyun guessed) as he seemed to remember that Baekhyun couldn’t understand him. It irritated Baekhyun, not knowing a single word.

“It’s O.K” Baekhyun said loudly. “O.K” he repeated, smiling and raising both his thumbs.

The guest seemed to understand him; he nodded and sat up taller, and then he patted the empty space beside himself.

Baekhyun tentatively took a seat.

“Kai,” his voice came out very hoarse. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Kai,” pointed at himself. “Kai.”

“Baekhyun,” Baekhyun said back. “I’m Baekhyun. Nice to meet you ... Kai,”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gained so much weight omg lmao


	11. Live for You

Jongin was ten when the raid took place. He had been asleep in his bed, warm and comfortable, snuggled up against Baekhyun’s back, his feet always brushing against his. Up until that night it had never occurred to him how precious safety was. It was like food and water and freedom — given, a birthright. When taken, it seemed the very walls of his room collapsed; the roof vanished, and he was left alone, exposed and vulnerable.

Baekhyun woke him up, shaking him vigorously. “Jongin, wake up! Wake up! I need you to get up RIGHT NOW, Jongin!”

He was a very deep sleeper, and had the habit of falling back asleep in favor of pretty much anything. But the urgent and scared voice of Baekhyun, that he had never heard before, launched right into him and settled on the pit of his stomach, where it grew heavy.

“What’s going on? Is there fire?”

Baekhyun shushed him. “Someone’s inside,” he whispered. “Jongin, I want you to teleport, okay? Teleport to our school, it will be empty now. Then, go to Minseok hyung’s house, they’ll take care of you. Tell them we were attacked, and that we need help.”

Jongin couldn’t speak. Something was lodged in his throat. Something thick and painful. His vision was blurred by his tears, and he shook his head.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, Jongin,” Baekhyun hugged him tightly, patting his back, and kissing his neck. “I know you can do it, and you need to do it right now, okay? Please, Jongin?”

“O-okay,” Jongin wiped his eyes, but the tears didn’t stop, and continued to flow mercilessly. “I’ll take you with me,” he declared. “I know I’ve never tried teleporting that far with someone, but I can do it — with you, I can do it.”

Baekhyun smiled and brushed Jongin’s hair, gently caressing.

“Jongin, we need help. But we can’t call for help if we’re both … taken. You must go now, before it’s too late.”

But Jongin had already started trying. He closed his eyes and concentrated harder than he ever had, even more than the time he was promised his favorite cake, at the age of five, if he managed to teleport inside the practice hoop before the day ended.

He didn’t know who was inside, or what they wanted. What he did know was that they were not welcome, and Baekhyun was afraid of them. He knew he needed to take Baekhyun with him, to their school, and then to Minseok’s home, where they would get help.

No matter how much Jongin pushed, the door was too heavy. No matter how hard he pulled, the door remained closed. Jongin tried again, willing his body to carry on Baekhyun’s.

He was brought back to the sound of screaming and people’s footsteps thundering —their reality— by Baekhyun’s kisses on his cheek.

“You must go, now.” Baekhyun said firmly. “For me, Jongin.”

Jongin nodded and shakily got up to his feet. “But … what about you? Maybe if you run now —”

“I’ll fight them,” Baekhyun had answered carelessly, as if he was being brave about facing a teacher without doing his homework.

Their room’s door was kicked open, and a tall man emerged fully equipped to fight. He was wearing a black battle uniform, not unlike the ones Jongin had seen their own soldiers wear, and was holding a big gun, which was pointed at them.

He raised a finger and gestured at them to come forward.

Someone cursed behind him, and Jongin heard the sickening sound of a bone breaking. Through the open door, behind the stranger, they saw a tiny body in a white nightdress getting dragged on the floor. They hadn’t even the decency to lift her up.

Baekhyun was on his feet too. “Jongin, please,” he whispered.

The stranger shouted something at them, and aimed his gun at Baekhyun.

“We’ll meet again,” Jongin whispered.

“We will,” Baekhyun had promised. “I won’t forget you, Jongin. Now, GO!”

Jongin knew better than to look at him straight, as Baekhyun shouted and was engulfed in a fiery light, he closed his eyes and let his body plunge into the void.

  
  


Ten years had passed, and a lot had happened as the time ticked and tocked. Jongin grew up. He learned that it was the Blue Moon’s soldiers who had come to catch the kids with special abilities. His own kingdom, the Red Sun, had declared a war on them not a week after. A total of twenty four children were taken that night.

Jongin’s training hours were doubled, tripled, and then it was the only thing he did except when he wasn’t on a mission, or sleeping.

His days started with a run followed by an hour of strength training. Then he was to have his breakfast before his classes started. History, math, and languages were highly important. He also had observation classes, where he learned to read all the languages that didn’t have a single word. Guns, knives, swords, arrows, staff, spears — he was taught to use them all. Combat classes were brutal and left him with many nights where he stifled himself with a pillow in his face, so that nobody would hear him cry.

Then came his specialty: Teleportation. Gone were the little hoops and the promises of his favorite cake. He learned to teleport with his puppy first, and then with another kid. The distance was pushed forward everyday, not a single day he was allowed to stay where he had been the day before. Even if the change was tiny, Jongin was to be better than he was yesterday, than he was an hour ago. The hardest one was to teleport in midair. It would be highly useful — there was no doubt. If he mastered it, he didn’t need a parachute when he jumped off the plane. He could catch his teammates if they were falling, he could escape from anywhere, even if he was cornered to the top of the world.

So Jongin practiced until his body went cold and he fainted while in the air. He paid the price with a broken arm and a shattered hip, but they stitched him up, and the abnormal speed and ways with which people like him healed, he was ready to go at full speed in a matter of a week.

Jongin was no longer a heavy-sleeper. A drop of water, or rustle of leaves could keep him awake for hours. His body remembered what happened whilst he had been asleep. His mind never let him forget that sleeping put him in the most vulnerable position. He grew taller and stronger, but colder and angrier. For him, everyday was a day wasted. Because Jongin missed Baekhyun every waking moment.

Ten years had passed, and Jongin was nowhere near finding Baekhyun. To make it worse, he was captured.

The truck shook them back and forth as it made its way to who knows where. Sehun was right next to him, unconscious, and with an ugly cut on his forehead. His hands and feet were bound the same way Jongin’s were. And on his neck, the collar that suppressed their powers glimmered with malice.

As if having his hands and feet tied up wasn’t torture enough, Jongin thought. The collar was like having someone choke him until he was on the brink of death, letting him breath for a second, and then doing the same thing over and over again.

Because he wasn’t smart enough and fast enough and good enough, Jongin had gone and let himself get caught, along with Sehun, his one friend, who didn’t seem to mind Jongin’s silent and cynical nature.

What would they do to him? Were they taking him the same place Baekhyun was taken to? 

Was Baekhyun alive? Did he remember Jongin?

There were five other prisoners apart from him and Sehun. Two guys and three girls. Jongin didn’t know any of them. The badges on their arms were nothing he had seen before.

There were four guards in total. Two at the back, sitting with them, and two in the front.

Jongin eyed them as secretly as he could, looking for any kind of opening. He was sure that he could knock one of them unconscious before getting shot dead. He needed help but there was no way to speak with the others. Sehun was out cold, and the others, with the unknown badges, might not speak the same language as him. Their eyes were either closed or cast down, focusing on nothing. It was too risky.

So Jongin waited.

His body finally started to give in, and Jongin felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier. The adrenaline rush had run out. He hadn’t slept for more than thirty hours, most of which he had spent fighting and using his power, which took large chunks of energy to use.

Baekhyun was laughing. He was doubled over on the floor, barely able to breath, and one of his hands was clutching his stomach, while the other fanned his face.

“Stooooop … ahahahahaha … I’m gonna die, I really — I’m gonna pee! Hahahahaha…”

Jongin could only wipe his tears and apologize.

“I’m sorry,” Jongin heard himself whisper, and then his eyes snapped open.

The truck had stopped, and someone was outside. Jongin could hear their footsteps on the rough stony ground.

“What’s going on out there?” one of the guards yelled, hitting the truck’s wall, which separated them from the two in the front.

No answer came.

The other guard pointed his gun at them in turn, letting them know that they shouldn’t get any funny ideas.

Silence.

Jongin got to count to two.

The truck's doors were blasted open and a blinding light was cast at them. Jongin instinctively closed his eyes and bent forward, pulling Sehun down with himself.

A sizzling sound rippled through the air, pulling all of Jongin’s body hair to stand up. A shot was fired for return. Someone screamed in pain, and then it was over. 

Jongin slowly blinked his eyes open.

Some girl got into the truck, muttering apologies for not being quick. Someone from the group with the unknown badges had been shot.

Jongin didn’t look at them. He looked at the other person — a man, wondering if he had finally gone insane. 

A man with jet black hair, playful droopy eyes, and big ears that had gone red at the tips.

He was looking back at Jongin. “Found you,”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How to go back to my old stories? I wanna continue them T.T


End file.
